These Nocturnes were inspired by Claude Monet’s late waterlily paintings, which depict the flowers on the surface of a pond, the murky depths beneath the water, and the sky and clouds reflecting off the water. Everything is suffused with an ethereal light that creates a complex blend of colours, from the soft pastels of morning to the vivid blaze of sunset. Since music represents inner conscious experience, these pieces cannot depict the paintings themselves, but rather the rich, deep emotions they evoke in me. The performer holds down the sustain pedal throughout each piece, creating a wash of harmony that tries to approximate the emotional effect of Monet’s rich blend of colours. Many of the paintings are widely accessible in print and online, meaning many listeners have already had (or could have in the future) similar experiences to mine, therefore directly experiencing the inspiration for these piano works themselves. I do not define which specific paintings are referenced in the music since I was inspired by a large number of them and want the listener to imagine the paintings to which they most personally connect. All that being said, it is not terribly important if the listener does not know the paintings at all. Combined with my impressions of the paintings are the experiences of the past year, which included the onset and deepening of the pandemic, and also of becoming a father. These far more universal experiences are also in the music, just as there are shared, universal experiences embedded in Monet’s paintings that speak to us now.